En fin, el Ghost Walk es un tour a pie por partes del centro de Nottingham, con un guía que cuenta historias sobrenaturales y de fantasmas relacionadas con esos lugares. Está realmente excelente, porque a) el guía era muuuuuy bueno (y se los dice alguien con experiencia en el ramo, jaja!). Muy gracioso, con mucho conocimiento de la materia y un fenómeno contando sus historias. b) Las historias en sí no eran cuentos vagos de damas de blanco misteriosas que "la gente" ve en tal lado. Eran historias que sonaban creíbles, con raíces en el pasado lejano pero con experiencias muy recientes.
The freshers have their activities (many of which involve great amounts of drink), but we postgrads do have our own, too. This was one of them, the Nottingham Ghost Walk, on Wednesday night. Earlier that afternoon there had been another one I wanted to do, the tour of the Galleries of Justice, which are supposed to be quite interesting, but it was at the same time as one of my maths classes, damn it!
Anyway, the Ghost Walk is a walking tour through parts of downtown Nottingham, with a guide who tells of the supernatural and ghost stories related to these places. It was really, really excellent, because a) The guide was EXTREMELY good (and I do know of what I speak, as I've quite a bit of experience in this area, having worked as a freelance guide for some time). He was funny, with a lot of knowledge of his subject matter and a great storyteller. b) The ghost stories themselves weren't vague tales about mysterious ladies in white which "people" had seen. There were stories which sounded believable, with roots in the past but with much more recent experiences.
Antes de empezar, con Citlali, Arturo y Einar, esperando que llegara todo el mundo. Como ven, hacía mucho, mucho frío. Por suerte ahora ya mejoró bastante la temperatura.
Before starting, with Citlali, Arturo and Einar, waiting for everyone to get there. As you see, it was very, very cold. Fortunately, the temperature is much nicer now.
¿Dónde puede empezar un Ghost Walk sino en un cementerio?
Where can a Ghost Walk start, if not in a graveyard?
Nuestro guía. Como ven, estaba bien caracterizado para la ocasión.
Our guide. As you see, he was well-characterized for the occasion.
En nuestro primer destino, un museo con una historia fascinante de sus días como "knocking house", que yo no sabía, pero es una especie de prostíbulo.
In our first destination, a museum with a fascinating history from its days as a "knocking house", a term I didn't know, but which apparently means a kind of brothel.
La ventana de la habitación donde tuvo lugar la primera historia, que estaba relacionada con empleados que empezaron a sentir allí una sensación horrible de opresión y con el hallazgo luego de ciertos restos misteriosos tras las paredes.
The wall of the room where the first story took place. It was related to employees who started to feel a horribly oppressive feeling there, and the subsequent finding of some mysterious remains behind the walls.
Yendo luego hacia el castillo, pasamos por delante de The Old Trip to Jerusalem, considerado el pub más antiguo del mundo. Todavía no fui, pero está en mi lista! Dentro del pub, una de las atracciones es un "galeón maldito", un modelo de un galeón español del cual se dice que quien lo toca cae muerto. Por lo tanto, no se puede limpiar, así que parece que está completamente cubierto de telarañas!
On our way to the castle, we passed by The Old Trip to Jerusalem, considered the world's oldest pub. I haven't been there yet, but it's in my list. Inside the pub, one of the attractions is a "cursed galleon", a model of a Spanish galleon of which it's said that whoever touches it drops dead immediately. Therefore, it can't be cleaned, so apparently it's dripping with cobwebs.
En frente al castillo está esta estatua, que reconocerán del título de este blog. Acá el guía nos contó unas historias buenísimas, tanto una de una experiencia que tuvieron uno de los empleados del museo y unos policías en una de las alas (en la que el perro que acompañaba a los policías terminó con el pelo totalmente blanco del shock), como una relacionada a Isabella de Francia, la esposa de Edward II, que todavía pide por la vida de su amante.
In front of the castle is this statue, which you'll recognize from the title of this blog. Here the guide told as some great stories, one about an experience that a museum employee and some policemen had in one of the wings (an experience in which the dog the policemen had with them ended up with his hair turning completely white from the shock), and another one related to Isabella of France (consort of Edward II), who apprentely still begs for the life of her lover.
Nuestro guía haciendo una demostración de lo que quiere decir "to be hanged, drawn and quartered" (colgado, las entrañas sacadas y cortado en pedazos, vagamente traducido), ya que los pedidos de Isabella fueron en vano, y esto fue lo que le sucedió a su amante.
Por suerte no le dio por demostrar cómo ese amante se dice que asesinó a Edward II (aunque sí lo describió, y en detalle!)
Our guide, demonstrating what being "hanged, drawn and quartered" means, since Isabellas pleas were in vain and this is what happened to her lover.
Fortunately he didn't take it into his head to demonstrate how said lover is said to have murdered Edward II (though he did describe it, and in detail!)
El tour terminó abajo de la Salutation Inn, en unas cuevas que también han tenido sus ocurrencias extrañas. Nottingham tiene un montón de cuevas, una verdadera galería, y esta que van a ver es una de tantas.
The tour ended under the Salutation Inn, in some caves which have also had their strange ocurrences. Nottingham is just riddled with caves, and this you're going to see is just one of the many
Y subiendo de las cuevas se llega a esto, un excelente pub!
And coming up from the caves you reach this, an excellent pub!
